TVSquad

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• Rainn Wilson, the early years.
• Mad Men's Rich Sommer is a big nerd.
• OMG, did you miss the New Kids On The Block on The Today Show?! Here they are.
• An ex-Six Feet Under star might be moving to House.
• Here's what we need more of on TV: news interviews conducted while getting a massage.
• Best Week Ever picks Bea Arthur's Best Moments.
• Zap2it's TV Gal is happy that we have to wait two weeks for the Lost season finale.
• No, Ryan Seacrest isn't taking over for Larry King.

There have been approximately 400 stories written about CBS Evening News anchor Katie Couric in the past few weeks: she's thinking about leaving, she's getting her lowest ratings ever, etc, etc. And now TV viewers are weighing in on what Katie should do.

A Gallup Poll asked 1,016 adults (I'd love to hear why they come up with such numbers, why they didn't keep calling until it was 1100 or at least stop calling at 1000) what Katie should do. And you know what? 46% of respondents say she should stay as anchor of the show! Where are those viewers when she needs them?

Here are some other results from the poll:

That's the advice the NBC newsman gave Katie Couric when she left The Today Show to take the anchor gig at The CBS Evening News in 2006.

He told her that going from a morning show like Today to a hard news anchor position was "a dive off the high board" and that it's "harder than it looks." Though I wonder if anyone gave that advice to Brokaw when he left Today to do The NBC Nightly News back in the 80s. Or maybe they didn't because he's a guy, right?

NBC keeps pumping out the reality shows.

The Peacock Network has announced that they, along with Reveille, Teleflora, Redbook and Hearst Magazines, are looking for America's Favorite Mom. The search actually began two weeks ago (it's hard to keep track of all these reality competition shows that are popping up), and the top 25 finalists will appear on The Today Show on every day the week before the primetime special airs on May 11 (which is, no surprise, Mother's Day). They've already set up a site for the contest. There are already a ton of entries (with pictures and other info) and you can browse each one, post comments, and soon you'll be able to vote for the mom that captures your fancy (please note: it's not a dating site).

I suddenly got this horrible image in my mind of Barbara Billingsley eating bugs to win a new SUV.

What's happening on other blogs via the interweb.

• On December 17, Ann Curry is going to bungee jump off a bridge.
• Here's the trailer for the big screen Speed Racer movie.
• Behind the scenes of Rachael Ray.
• MTV picks the 10 most uncomfortable star interview moments (I think the Phoenix interview should be #1).
• Cracked picks the 13 most ridiculous TV shows of all-time (I don't agree with their choices of Quark and The 100 Lives of Blackjack Savage.)
• Tim Goodman has started a new TV blog, and he picks the 5 best Christmas specials, and I really can't argue with that list (though Miracle on 34th Street should probably be in there).

Former Live with Regis & Kathie Lee star Kathie Lee Gifford is going to guest host the fourth hour of NBC's Today Show tomorrow.

As I mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of any morning show having a fourth hour. Even if they brought back Breakfast Time I'd say that two hours was enough. And just the fact they're now getting "guest hosts" proves how trivial the fourth hour really is. But isn't the third hour mostly cooking, celebs, and fashion tips too? What's the fourth hour, just all the ladies (Ann Curry, Natalie Morales, and Hoda Kotb) having pillow fights with each other while Al Roker watches? Let's just hope Kathie Lee doesn't sing.

NBC's press release is kind of odd. It says that this appearance "will mark the first time she has co-hosted the fourth hour of Today." Has she co-hosted any of the other three hours of the show?

Much has been said about Katie Couric and her year behind the anchor's desk on The CBS Evening News (some of it by Couric herself in a controversial New York interview). But now a journalist is going to interview Couric and she's going to talk about everything that's going on with her and with the news biz in general.

Veteran newsman Marvin Kalb is going to interview Couric as part of the Kalb Report Series, which is produced by George Washington University, Harvard's Joan Shorenstein Center, and The National Press Club. The interview will take place live on stage next Tuesday at The National Press Club, in front of students and members of the NPC.

• Do you remember the show Big Wave Dave's?
• Best Week Ever gives us The Reverse Savage.
• A lot of people want Tucker Carlson to be fired.
• More nasty news about Andy Dick.
• Singer Chris Brown takes his jacket off at The Today Show, causes a riot.
• Did you know Hugh Laurie was almost picked to host the Emmys?
• BuddyTV has some interesting info about the Jericho season one DVD set.

• The secret that everyone already knew.
• Hurricane Dean is coming, and that means the news networks are going crazy.
• Get ready for a ton of "How are Katie Couric and Meredith Vieira doing one year later?" stories (Sept. 5 for Katie, the following week for Meredith).
• Paris Hilton has a new line of children's clothing.
• Here's video of Alex Trebek screwing up on the Jeopardy! set and swearing.
• The art of the TV Mashup.
• Jaime Weinman shows up some of TV's most depressing intros.

Are Today Show viewers - even the most loyal Today Show viewers - asking for a fourth hour of the show every single day?

Looks that way. As we reported earlier, NBC is going ahead with their plans for a fourth hour of the morning show, and Broadcasting & Cable is reporting that the hosts have been named: Ann Curry, Natalie Morales, and Hoda Kotb. Giada De Laurentis and Tiki Barber will be correspondents on the show.

I assume that NBC has done some sort of market research that pushes them in this direction, but as a viewer I'm kind of nauseated. Look at all that TV space that's being taken up by having four hours of Today on Monday through Friday (and another two hours each on Saturday and Sunday). Yikes.

[via TV Newser]

Good Morning America co-host Robin Roberts will return to the ABC show on Monday.

Roberts underwent surgery last week after discovering she had breast cancer. The surgery went well and Roberts is now awaiting test results to figure out what her next step should be. ABC spokesperson Bridgett Maney says that Roberts is feeling great and is looking forward to getting back to work.

Roberts will be returning at an interesting time, as the newest Nielsen numbers indicate that the ratings for the 18-49 demographic are down 10% for all morning shows (GMA, Today, and The Early Show) compared to the same time last year. Meanwhile, the cable news morning shows have seen increased ratings.